Letter-copying bath.



No. 758,711. PATBNTED MAY 3, 1904. R. SPURGIN. LETTER GOPYING BATH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22. 1903.

H0 MODEL.

Patented May 3, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT SPURGIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

LETTER-COPYING BATH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 758,711, dated May 3, 1904.

Application filed March 2, 1903. Serial No. 145,737. (No model.)

To (all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Roe ERT SPURGIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Letter-Copying Baths, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a suitable receptacle for letter-press copyingcloths, particularly arranged for conveniently and quickly disposing of a removable cover when necessary to have access to the pack of cloths within.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the pan; (4 a a a, lugs; 0 0, angle; a, floor of the pan; ff, walls of pan; g, rim of pan. F ig. 2 is the cover; (I, handle. Fig. 3 is a plane view of floor of pan. Fig. 4 is the bath with cover standing; &, reverse of cover. Fig. 5 is a plane view of end or side of bath with cover standing. Fig. 6 is right-angled lug; 0, angle; a a, tapering arms of lug.

A particular description of my improved copying-bath is as follows: A rectangular bath of suitable dimensions is fitted preferably at two diagonally opposite corners, each with a permanent lug constructed in the form of a right angle, Figs. 1 and 6, a a a a. The two arms of these lugs are made to taper from the angle 0 a a gradually to the floor of the pan, Figs. 1 and 1, a a 0. Each of the right-angled lugs presents two sides parallel and contiguous to the walls of the pan at its angles, Fig. 1, ff, the practical result being to provide an effective parallel lug for each of the four walls of the pan, Figs. 1, 3, and 6, a a a af. Space is thus left between the lugs and the walls of the pan in which to stand the cover, whose edge impinges upon the base of the lug, while support above is given to the cover by the rim of the pan, against which it is allowed to lean obliquely, Figs. 1 and 5, a b c f g. Such action is practicable at any of the four sides of the pan by reason of the location and shape of the two right-angled lugs, Figs. 3 and 6, a a c. The height of the lugs at their angle 0 is slight and only such as to provide an obstruction sufiicient to prevent the cover from slipping at its base inwardly when standing and impinging upon a lug, Fig. 4, a, and Fig.

5, 5 (Z a. The low height of the lugs just adverted to avoids their interference with the desirable close impact of the cover with the copying-cloths that may occupy the bath, a very small pack in number sufiicing to keep the cover entirely clear of the lugs when in its place in the bath. A pressure and impact of the supposedly-dampened cloths is thus permitted, which is important to their uniform moistening for the purpose of making good letter-copies.

\Vhile I do not wish to be restricted to the use of lugs in but two of the corners of my improved bath, the object in view being especially to provide a resting-place for the cover on all of the four sides, it will be seen that two lugs of the form and in the positions described and shown, Figs. 1, 3, and 6, (I (1' 0, perform eflicientl y the service of four if placed one at each of the four corners. My reason for preferably using right-angle lugs in two corners instead of in four or instead of using a small post in each of four corners is, first, that the plan chosen is less expensive than the others. Again, two right-angle lugs as employed can be more securely attached to the floor of the pan 0 than four posts, because of the angular and longer base-line they possess for attachment. I preferably use tapering lugs instead of lugs of uniform height, because greater durability as well as lighter weight are obtained in the tapering lugs, while they lose none of their utility as elongated stops,the standing cover impinging upon them at all points along their base alike from the angle to the end.

In action when it is necessary to have access to a pack of copying-cloths which may be contained in my improved bath it is only required to turn the cover up on one side or the other or one end or the other of the receptacle, as may be most convenient to the operator, and allow its edge to drop into the space between an arm of the lug to be employed and the inside wall of the pan. The cover is then placed obliquely against the wall of the pan, where it stands secure until required to be turned down again onto the pack when the copying is finished, Fig. I, 6 a, and Fig. 5.

The fact that no lug or stop is required against which to place the opposite I of an available as well as suitable place for it end of the cover to keep it erect is apparent, for the cover being rigid and one end stayed between the elongated tapering lug and the close wall of the pan there can of necessity be no voluntary lateral or other movement of the free end. r

I am aware that letter-copying baths have been in public use in which provision was made for standing the removable cover at one end or side only of the bath in a pocket or by means of interlocking lugs on both bath and cover, and in some the covers have been permanently hinged, not intended to be removed, and opening always at the same side; but I have no knowledge of any other than my improved copying-bath arranged for standing the cover on edge at any of the four sides.

The advantages secured by the quadrangularly-arranged lugs as employed in my bath are several. First, if necessary, by reason of limited space, to place the bath against a wall or even in the angle of two walls or other perpendicular surfaces either condition would not interfere with the ready disposition of thecover, as it would need simply to be engaged with a lug on one of the unobstructed sides of the bath in the manner described, where it would stand while the work of copying was being prosecuted, whereas in the case of a bath whose cover is designed when raised to rest in a pocket at one and always the same side or end of the bath the finding in the oflice is not infrequently a matter of difiEiculty. In the case of copying-baths with loose covers, which are intended to be removed entirely from the bath at the time of copying, no pocket or support of any kind being provided, the convenience of a copyingbath constructed on the plan of mine is also evident, for while the user of my improved bath would have on all occasions choice of four sides for standing the cover within the bath one using a bath of the other kind just described is often put to much inconvenience to find a suitable place necessarily outside of and sometimes remote from the bath to deposit the cover before beginning to copy.

Having now fully described the nature and advantages of my invention, whatI claim, and desire to have secured to me by Letters Patent, is

A letter-copying bath provided at two diagonally opposite corners of the pan with rightangled lugs, parallel with and contiguous to the walls of the pan, all substantially as described and shown.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT SPURGIN.

Witnesses:

F. R. BARTSCH, A. M. Emerson. 

